Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. (Ruger) must be doing something right. Ruger’s manufacturing plants are running at full capacity, yet it still can’t keep up with demand for its pistols and rifles. Ruger recently announced that, for the first quarter 2012, the Company has received orders for more than one million units.. That will outstrip Ruger’s production capacity. Therefore, the Company has temporarily suspended the acceptance of new orders.
Chief Executive Officer Michael O. Fifer made the following comments:
• The Company’s Retailer Programs that were offered from January 1, 2012 through February 29, 2012 were very successful and generated significant orders from retailers to independent wholesale distributors for Ruger firearms.
• Year-to-date, the independent wholesale distributors placed orders with the Company for more than one million Ruger firearms.
• Despite the Company’s continuing successful efforts to increase production rates, the incoming order rate exceeds our capacity to rapidly fulfill these orders. Consequently, the Company has temporarily suspended the acceptance of new orders.
• The Company expects to resume the normal acceptance of orders by the end of May 2012.
New Guns Have Been Well-Received
Ruger has seen its fortunes rise in the past few years with the successful introduction of small, compact self-loading pistols. These are very popular with Americans looking for a “carry” pistol for self defense. In addition, demand for rifles has increased with Ruger’s recent introduction of its value-priced Ruger American Rifle (RAR), a bolt gun with many modern features such as a barrel nut (like Savage) and side bolt release (like Tikka). With a street price of just $379.60, the basic, synthetic-stocked RAR is a value-leader in the market, just like the Ruger 10/22, which continues to sell in great numbers.
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The season finale of the Friends of the NRA TV show airs Sunday Night (March 25th) on the Outdoor Channel at 10:30 pm EST. In this episode, hosts Matt and Jessie head to Alton, Illinois, home of Winchester Ammunition. Matt and Jessie tour the Winchester plant, and learn how shotgun shells are made. Matt and Jessie then test shotshells on Winchester’s outdoor skeet and pistol range.
The show’s real highlight is a visit to the farm house of John M. Olin. Franklin Olin, John’s father, founded Western Cartridge Company. After Western Cartridge acquired the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, the merged Winchester-Western enterprise became Olin Industries, which now produces Winchester-brand ammo (and many other products). If you’re interested in the history of America’s firearms industry, you should watch this episode just to learn more about John M. Olin, a talented inventor who secured numerous patents in the fields of arms and ammunition. John M. Olin, who held a college degree in chemistry, was also responsible for many advancements in propellants and ballistics. In the episode’s final scenes, Matt and Jessie visit Winchester’s historic hunting preserve, Nilo Farms. There, the two go hunting for chukar and pheasant.
Now through May 31, 2012, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is offering Free Shooting at the CMP Anniston, Alabama or Port Clinton, Ohio indoor Marksmanship Centers. To qualify, print out the coupon below, and bring a friend to the range with you. You get in free (with coupon) while your friend pays the normal charge. This Free Shoot offer applies only to the Open Public Shooting sessions. Open Public Shooting in Anniston is on Tuesday 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm. In Port Clinton, the Open Shooting sessions are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings 5:30PM – 8:00PM, through the end of May. Both 80-point, 10-meter air gun ranges are fully equipped with electronic targets that accommodate air rifle, air pistol or National Match Air Rifle shooting. Rental equipment is available for a small fee.
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Nightforce Optics, Inc. (Nightforce), has completely redesigned and updated its website. Visit www.NightforceOptics.com to check out the new look and new features. The new site includes easier navigation, extensive product information, and a number of helpful tutorial features. NightforceOptics.com also includes photo galleries, product specs, and a global dealer locator.
New Site Offers Video Tutorials, Plus Interactive Reticle Calculator
The redesigned site includes detailed information on the products, reticles and technology. For example, the online Velocity™ Reticle Calculator allows the shooter to interactively explore the application and performance of the unique Nightforce Velocity™ 1000 and Velocity™ 600 reticles, relative to their own rifle’s ballistic profile. Visitors will find several tutorial videos, such as the one explaining the Nightforce ZeroStop™ system on the elevation turret. This allows the shooter to instantly return to his chosen zero point, no matter how many adjustments in elevation have been made. The site also conveys a wide range of general riflescope knowledge and information to help shooters hone their long-range skills.
“Delivering as much information to our customers as possible, within a visually appealing and useful environment, was our goal for the new website,” said Terry L. Eby, marketing project manager for Nightforce. “We will continue to add new information to the site that will help Nightforce customers[.]”
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Here’s a very good deal if you’re looking for a premium Laser Rangefinder with excellent long-range performance and a compact form factor. The popular Leica CRF 1600 laser rangefinder is now on sale at EuroOptic.com for just $649.00. That represents a $150.00 savings over the previous price. The hundred and fifty bucks you save can pay for other gear items you need.
Why is the CRF 1600 on sale? Leica is bringing out a CRF 1600-B in June, 2012. The newer ‘1600-B’ model will have more bells and whistles, yet it will be sold at the $799.00 price. That means the price has been slashed on the current CRF 1600.
Should you wait for the ‘1600-B’ version? That depends. The new CRF 1600-B model offers built-in angle correction plus an LED output for holdovers (in inches or cm). It can also display the elevation clicks you need at particular distances, based on reference to a set of internal ballistics curves. That sounds cool, but if you already have a come-up table (as you probably do), all you really need is an accurate range to the target — and the CRF 1600 can definitely deliver that. The current CRF 1600 does offer hold-over values (in cm or inches), based on built-in ballistics curves, but it doesn’t have an inclinometer and it doesn’t provide click-value read-outs. If you don’t need the “fancy extras”, or you don’t want to wait until June for the ‘1600-B’ model, it makes sense to pick up a CRF 1600 now at the $649.00 sale price.
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If you’re looking for a great start for your summer, mark your calendars for June 1, 2, and 3 and plan to shoot the 2012 Remington-Bushmaster Long Range Regional at the Reade Range in central Pennsylvania. June in the Appalachian Mountains is a beautiful time and place. The Reade range is a first class facility and terrific place to shoot. The Regional tournament is open to conventional (sling), and F-class shooters (both F-TR and F-Open). Firing will begin on Friday, June 1st with a 4-man team match. Saturday is 3×1000 any/iron match followed by a wind clinic by Bryan Litz. The match concludes on Sunday with 3×1000 any/any matches and awards presentations where a meal will be provided by the range. Several Military teams are expected to be in attendance and pit service is being arranged (so shooters probably won’t have to pull targets, but this is still being worked out).
CLICK “PLAY” to HEAR Bryan Litz TALK about LR Regional Match Course of Fire and PRIZES:
As if the fun of competitive shooting isn’t enticing enough, this match is heavily sponsored with some terrific prizes. Awards for the winners include: Remington rifles, Championship medals, and $1000 in cash awards. In addition to awards, the prize table will be presented as door prizes. So far over 18 sponsors have pledged product prizes totaling over $6,000 in value.
Remington-Bushmaster Arms is the primary sponsor of the match. Applied Ballistics, LLC is promoting the match and you can see a full list of the match sponsors and prizes on the Applied Ballistics homepage, AppliedBallisticsllc.com. Sponsor donations are greatly appreciated. If you have a business in the firearms industry and would like to support the shooting sports by donating to this match, please contact Bryan Litz at: bryan.litz [at] appliedballisticsllc.com .
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“Holy Mother of Mercy…” was this Editor’s reaction when I saw the “screamer” group shot by Forum member Tim Claunch this weekend in Memphis, at the inaugural MSSA 600-yard IBS match. Shooting his amazingly accurate 6BRX Light Gun, Tim nailed a 0.981″ group, centered up for an impressive 50-2X score. Conditions were favorable, with a light 3-5 mph wind and 70° temps. Shooting on the first target, first relay, Tim took his final sighter with 10 seconds to go, then drilled five shots “right down the middle” in about 20-25 seconds. The results were spectacular. Tim’s 0.981″ group works out to 0.156 MOA, and three of the shots clustered in about half an inch! This isn’t a new IBS small group record (Sam Hall holds that record with a mind-blowing 0.699″/50 shot in 2010), but it is still one of the best centered-up groups ever shot in IBS 600-yard competition.
Tim was shooting the same 6BRX we featured last month in the Daily Bulletin. It has a 26″ Bartlein 1.250″ straight contour barrel fitted to a Borden action in a Shehane fiberglass Tracker stock. Tim was running Varget powder with CCI 450 primers and pointed Berger 105gr VLD bullets. Tim anneals his Lapua brass after every firing though he does NOT uniform his primer pockets or ream flash-holes.
Just how impressive was Tim’s 0.981″, 50-score-value group?
Well, consider this comment from Forum member JeffG:
A .981″ group at 600 yards = .981/6.2832 = (H#LY $H*T) = .156 MOA…
Try doing that at 600 yards with wind and mirage and who knows how many little flying insects that might potentially disrupt the bullet… pulling the trigger when the crosshairs are at EXACTLY the same spot (give or take 1/10th the thickness of the crosshairs) EVERY TIME.
CLICK Buttons to HEAR Tim Claunch Talk about Shooting his 0.981″ group.
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With his 0.981″ small group, Tim did take top honors for Light Gun Group. However, he had one shot go wide on another target that raised his Light Gun Group Agg to 2.335″. You’d think that would be good enough to win, but a shooter from Birmingham, Alabama posted a 2.299″ Agg to claim the best Light Gun Agg for the day. Charlie Macke won Heavy Gun group and HG score. The Two-Gun Overall winner was Forum member Stephen Hall. Congrats to all the great shooters at the inaugural MSSA event.
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The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) issued the following statement:
SAMMI, a registered United Nations non-governmental organization (NGO) with roster status, has taken the regrettable but necessary step of withdrawing any reference of SAAMI association from the U.N. agency project to create “International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS).”
The goal of ISACS, as stated on the U.N. website is “To develop internationally accepted and validated standards that provide clear and comprehensive guidance to practitioners and policy-makers on small arms and light weapons control.”
SAAMI, being an accredited standards-setting organization, welcomed the opportunity to be part of a standards-setting process which requires rigorous adherence to facts.
“We saw the ISACS as a way to cut through the politics and rhetoric of this issue and get down to core actions that will reduce violence,” says Rick Patterson, Managing Director of SAAMI. “Regrettably, the process has been tainted, expert input has been ignored, and the resulting standards represent nothing more than the opinions of the authors — most of whom are affiliated with NGO’s supporting gun control.”
Because the U.N. has ignored contrary facts and opinions, and quelled debate, the U.N. has done itself — and everyone associated with ISACS — a disservice. They have negatively affected the credibility of all parties involved. For these reasons, SAAMI simply cannot allow its reputation for professionalism, integrity and factual expertise to be associated with the ISACS program.
SAMMI has also issued a lengthy “Minority Report in response to Draft International Small Arms Control Standards Promulgated by the U.N. Coordinating Action in Small Arms (CASA)”. This Minority Report is highly critical of the processes leading to the proposed United Nations International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS). SAAMI’s Minority Report notes that there was a “refusal to consider opposing views” and an “editorial bias during the drafting process.” CLICK HERE to read full SAAMI Minority Report.
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At the IWA trade show (European SHOT Show) in Germany, Anschütz introduced a slick new black version of its model 8002 S2 air rifle. The 8002 S2 “Black Air” IWA Special air rifle features an over-molded soft black polymer coating over a base wood stock. Those who were able to handle the stock at IWA came away very impressed. Jason Goldsmith, who runs the PimpMyAirGun.com website, reports: “[The] ‘SoftTouch’ black finish [is] velvet smooth to the touch and a stunner.” Anschütz claims that its “SOFT-Grip stock combines the outstanding vibration-damping and recoil-absorbing characteristics of a naturally-grown wooden stock with the characteristics of an easy-care and weather-proof plastic stock.”
If Anschütz decides to export the Black Air IWA special model 8002 S2 to the United States, it should be available from PyramidAir.com. We expect the price to be about $2,300, but that’s a guess. Current price for a standard wood-stock m8001 is $1599.00, while a m8002 in metal stock is $2,370.
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Here’s good news for AR fans who want to add an ultra-accurate Tubegun to their rifle collection. Now you can use many popular AR-specific buttstocks with Eliseo CSS Tubegun Chassis Kits. Gary Elesio has crafted a new adapter that fits between the Tubegun’s action sleeve and the buttstock, allowing the use of the many AR buttstocks which fit an AR buffer tube. The new adapter, priced at $60.00, is a simple, no-gunsmithing installation.
The buffer tube (with buffer removed) simply screws into the female-threaded CSS adapter unit, and then the AR buttstock is secured to the buffer tube (either by set-screws or locking collars, depending on the design). Finally, the whole assembly (AR buttstock plus adapter) slides into the rear of the Tubegun’s action sleeve, where it is secured by a tensioning screw.
Gary Eliseo of CompetitionShootingStuff.com (CSS) explains: “I’ve had lots of demand to support AR buttstocks on my chassis systems. The Lightweight Hunter Chassis will now be supplied with an adapter for mounting an AR buffer tube. This adapter, with an anodized finish, will also be available as an option for other CSS Chassis Kits. The whole system is reasonably light with an AR buttstock installed. With an ACE skeleton-style AR stock (shown in photos) the whole Tubegun weighs right at eight (8) pounds. That was with action in place and a 24″ sporter-weight barrel, but without optics. Some heavy-barrel ARs weigh more than that.” NOTE: The Chassis in the photos is right off Gary’s machines, so it is bare metal. As delivered, CSS Chassis Kits come with an Anodized, Cerakote, or Powder-coat finish, according to buyer preference.
Eliseo’s Light Weight Hunter (photo below) will now be delivered with the AR adapter, rather than a CSS-made buttstock. This gives the chassis purchaser the ability to choose from a variety of third-party buttstock designs, including collapsible stocks. The good news is the price of the CSS Light Hunter Chassis with Cerakote finish will be reduced $90.00 to $685.00. That’s a great deal when you consider most guys can use a buttstock they already acquired for their AR(s). If you have any questions about Gary’s new buttstock adapter, you can post in this Forum Thread, and Gary can give you an answer. Alternatively, email your questions to: order.info [at] competitionshootingstuff.com.
Shown above is Gary Eliseo’s Light Weight Hunter with original CSS-made tubular buttstock. From now on, Light Weight Hunter Chassis Kits will be supplied with an AR buttstock adapter (and no buttstock), so the purchaser can select his preferred buttstock design from a variety of third-party options. This change allowed CSS to reduce the Light Weight Hunter Chassis price to $685.00 (including adapter).
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This week’s edition of Shooting USA, which airs Wednesday, March 21st, features the 2011 Bianchi Cup. This competition is one of the most prestigious and popular events in the world of handgun shooting. Officially, the annual competition in Columbia, Missouri is known as the National Championship of NRA Action Pistol. But to everybody, world-wide, it’s the Bianchi Cup, the trophy named for one of the founders, John Bianchi. In the past 30 years the match has become the richest handgun tournament in the world, with cash and prizes for the best scores on four stages of fire. Shooting USA will spotlight top male and female Bianchi Cup competitors in both wheelgun and and semi-auto pistol divisions. Along with North American shooters, the Bianchi Cup draws top handgun competitors from around the globe. Shooting USA airs Wednesday Nights, on the Outdoor Channel, at 3:00 pm, 8:00 pm, and 12:00 midnight (Eastern Time).
Bianchi Cup — Classic Course of Fire
The MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup is a combination of Speed and Accuracy. Competitors shoot from both standing and prone positions and are also required to shoot with both strong and weak hands at various stages. Stages may combine stationary and moving targets. As conceived by former police officer and holster-maker John Bianchi, the Bianchi Cup originated in 1979 as a Law Enforcement Training match. The Course of Fire consists of four separate matches:
The Practical Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at distances from 10 yards to 50 yards under varying time limits.
The Barricade Event: From within shooting boxes and behind barricades, a shooter fires at targets on either side of the barricade at different distances and under varying time limits.
The Falling Plate Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at 8 inch round steel plates arranged in banks of six at distances from 10 to 25 yards under varying time limits.
The Moving Target Event: From within shooting boxes at distances ranging from 10 to 25 yards, the shooter fires at a target moving from left to right with the target being exposed for only 6 seconds.
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Dansig’s Hot-Rod Howa – Forum member Dansig has been busy during the long, cold winter in his native Iceland. He transformed a homely-looking Howa m1500 Axiom into a beautiful candy-red thumbhole Varminter that shoots in the threes. This was truly a “labor of love” that required many dollars invested and dozens of hours of home-workshop labor. But the results speak for themselves. Dansig now owns what may be the best-looking Howa on the planet. And this rig isn’t just a beauty queen — it’s very accurate as well. With a new Krieger barrel chambered in 6mmBR Norma, the Howa shoots repeatable, five-shot groups in the threes, and Dansig has managed a few “wallet groups” in the low twos.
From this beast….
To this beauty … All it takes is imagination, hard work, and the right components….
Read Dansig’s account of the project from start to finish…
For this project I acquired a new Howa m1500 axiom. The transformation began with a $99.00 (USA retail) Boyds’ thumbhole stock.
When I got the stock, I found that even the standard barrel was too big for it, so I had to modify it quite a bit. To help ride the front bags, I added a wood block to make the fore-end wider, and to provide a flat section in the front. This required cutting the sides of the fore-end to mate with the wider block, which was glued in place. I also added an inch to the stock length.
Then I spent a few weeks sanding and filling…
Then it was time for the paintjob ($270). The multi-coat finish was applied by a professional, using car paint and clear coat so it’s very strong and scratch resistant. The color was a customized red with gold metal-flakes, and it looks awesome on a gun.
Bolt Sleeved, Trigger Tuned, and Krieger Barrel Fitted
While I was working on the stock I took the action to the local gunsmith. He fitted a new 1:13.5″-twist Krieger HV barrel and he put a sleeve in the action to make it tighter. He also tuned the trigger, taking it down from 56 ounces (ouch!) to just 14 ounces. Finally, my smith bedded the stock before I took it in for the paintwork.
Project Completed — Looks Great and Shoots Great
And this is the finished product of very hard labor. The project was a lot of work, mostly because it was all done by hand and not with machines. I may do a similar project again, but I would make the stock from oak or other strong wood. The wood I used is a bit soft for this kid of project.
Hot-Rod Howa Shoots as Good as She Looks
Dansig reports: “How does my Hot-Rod Howa shoot? Repeatable 5-shot accuracy with me as a shooter is in the threes, but with a more experienced shooter, the gun could probably shoot even better. I say this because I just started shooting Benchrest for the first time when this project gun was completed. Here’s an exceptional (much better than average) ‘wallet group’ that shows what the gun can do ‘when the stars align’. This group, shot with VV N135 and Nosler Ballistic Tips, made my buddies really roll their eyes! I wish I had more groups like this one!”
Editor’s Note: Groups shown were shot on Caldwell “Tip-Top” laminated weatherproof targets, which display a distinctive punch — similar to a wad-cutter hole — as opposed to the standard gray donut smudge on a normal paper target. The holes appear black because the targets were placed over a black background sheet before being photographed.
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Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. (Ruger) must be doing something right. Ruger’s manufacturing plants are running at full capacity, yet it still can’t keep up with demand for its pistols and rifles. Ruger recently announced that, for the first quarter 2012, the Company has received orders for more than one million units.. That will outstrip Ruger’s production capacity. Therefore, the Company has temporarily suspended the acceptance of new orders. 
Now through May 31, 2012, the 
Nightforce Optics, Inc. (Nightforce), has completely redesigned and updated its website. Visit 
You can visit the 
“Holy Mother of Mercy…” was this Editor’s reaction when I saw the “screamer” group shot by Forum member Tim Claunch this weekend in Memphis, at the inaugural 
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) issued the following statement:
Here’s good news for AR fans who want to add an ultra-accurate Tubegun to their rifle collection. Now you can use many popular AR-specific buttstocks with 
This week’s edition of 
Dansig’s Hot-Rod Howa – Forum member Dansig has been busy during the long, cold winter in his native 
Hot-Rod Howa Shoots as Good as She Looks
